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Glite Dictionary
intercalary year

intercalary year

8.3
A year with an extra day added to February to keep the dates matching the seasons
  • noun
  • /ˌɪntərˈkeɪləri jɪr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : año bisiesto
  • The Gregorian calendar includes an intercalary year every four years to account for the extra fraction of a day.

Examples

  • Without the intercalary year, our calendar would gradually drift away from the solar year.

  • Leap years are also known as intercalary years.

  • An intercalary year helps ensure that the seasons match the calendar dates.

  • This is an intercalary year with an extra day in February.

  • An intercalary year ensures that February has 29 days to keep the calendar in sync with the seasons.

  • The concept of an intercalary year is essential for aligning the calendar year with the astronomical year.

  • Each intercalary year adds an extra day to February, making it 29 days long instead of 28.

Synonyms

leap year
vsintercalary year
5 1.8

A year that happens every four years and has 366 days

is focused on adding the extra February day to keep calendars aligned
bissextile year
vsintercalary year
  • Archaic
9.3

A year with an extra day in February that has 366 days

has the same meaning but uses the other more common modern term

Surface Forms

intercalary year singular
intercalary years plural

Morphology

intercalary + year

The adjective 'intercalary' means 'inserted to synchronize the solar year', so combined with 'year' it straightforwardly denotes a year with an insertion (an extra day). This is a normal adjective+noun composition and the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents, so a learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

The term intercalary year comes from the idea of 'inserting' an extra day into the calendar, like slipping one small day into February so the seasons stay on the same dates. So it means a year with an extra day added to keep the calendar correct.